STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.- This month, Schantz Galleries will present both classic and contemporary works by acclaimed Italian glass artist Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibition, “Lino Tagliapietra in New England 2017,” will be on view daily, July 6 through 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. An opening reception with the artist will be held on Friday, July 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Internationally regarded by his peers as the best glass blower in the world, Tagliapietra, who is celebrating 70 years working with glass, continues to be inspired by new concepts and designs.

“I think that what I like to do the most is research. I don’t want to represent Venetian technique only—even though I was born with it and it is possible to recognize it in my work. Your style is what you are,” he said.

Tagliapietra moves fluidly around the globe, incorporating nuance and inspiration from each place visited into a style that is uniquely his. His generous spirit and gentle nature make him a true visionary for whom a single color, a simple landscape, and a chance encounter inspire masterpieces in glass. Passion for his art extends beyond blown glass forms to the creation of large-scale fused glass panels, using various forms of his own hand-pulled canes, murrini, rondelle, and glass pellets.

Tagliapietra has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions. His artwork is in the collections of many museums and art institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris; the Shanghai Museum of Glass in China, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

“Glass is one of the most wonderful materials that an artist has to work with. What makes this material so unique are its characteristics of being fragile and strong at the same time,” he said.

Tagliapietra will be present at the public opening of the exhibition at Schantz Galleries on Friday, July 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. “This is a great opportunity to meet the world-renowned maestro as he travels through the United States,” said gallery owner Jim Schantz.